Another reason NOT to play the Oregon Lottery, even beyond the stacked odds and inaccurately advertised payouts. Mary Loftin, Lottery spokeswoman, on scratch-it game Emerald 8s: "Unfortunately, the play instructions could have been a bit better." (The Oregonian).

A Bellevue, Wash. consultant thinks shoppers are back to their old spending habits. Its report: "The New Frugality? The sky that never fell." (The Oregonian)